Council Of Canadians Leader Says Ontario Bottled Water Proposals Are “Bare Minimum First Steps”

Council Of Canadians Chairperson Maude Barlow Launched ‘Boycott Nestle Campaign’ In Guelph On September 23.

News from Brent Patterson, Council of Canadians

Posted October 18th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

The Council of Canadians is calling on the Ontario government to do much more to protect the human right to water.

Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow has been a long-time opponent of privatizing the country’s water resources

This October 17th, CBC reported, “Ontario is proposing a two-year hold on the creation or expansion of bottled water plants… The province [also] plans to impose stricter scientific requirements for water taking permits such as studies on the cumulative impact of the practice on local supplies, especially during droughts. …[The Liberals] want more public transparency, and will mandate that companies create websites listing information about their water taking permits and showing the actual amounts taken every week. …[And the] province wants to make it mandatory for bottled water companies to reduce water takings during droughts like the one experienced this year in Wellington county, 100 kilometres west of Toronto.”

In response to this, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow comments, “These are bare minimum first steps. Cumulative impact assessments and mandatory reductions during drought should absolutely be implemented. But we need more than a two-year hold on the creation or expansion of bottled water plants.”

“The Ontario government must implement a full moratorium on bottled water takings by phasing out water-taking permits for single-use containers, including Nestlé’s Aberfoyle permit. More than tentative first steps are needed to truly protect water for communities. We must work towards a bottled water-free future.”

The proposal to pause any new bottling operations could mean that Nestle may not be granted the provincial permit it needs for the well it recently purchased in Elora. Last year, Nestle applied for a permit to test water at that well. They hope to be able to eventually secure a permit to take 1.6 million litres of water a day from that well. The Township of Centre Wellington had tried to purchase the well, but Nestle outbid the community and now owns the well. Mayor Kelly Linton has stated, “[Having that well would have] meant that we could guarantee that commercial water taking would not negatively impact our water source.”

We believe that the Ontario government should require that Nestle transfer ownership of the well to the community.

Nestle is also seeking a provincial permit for a 10-year renewal of its current permit to extract 3.6 million litres of water a day in Aberfoyle. That permit expired on July 31, but Nestle has continued to pump water under the terms and conditions of the old permit as the ministry reviews its application.

The Ontario government has now opened a 45 day period for public comment which closes on December 1. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne says the province’s review of bottled water takings will be completed this fall. For more information on that public consultation period, please click here.

In the meantime, we have launched a Boycott Nestle campaign that asks people not to buy bottled water. At this point, 38,596 people have now signed the pledge since it was launched at an evening public forum on September 22 in Guelph.

About The Council of Canadians

Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians is Canada’s leading social action organization, mobilizing a network of 60 chapters across the country.

Through our campaigns we advocate for clean water, fair trade, green energy, public health care, and a vibrant democracy. We educate and empower people to hold our governments and corporations accountable.

To read the Ontario government’s October 17th media release on its decision to place a two year moratorium on bottle water sellers, click on – To read more on Brent Patterson’s blog site click on – Brent Patterson’s blog

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For several years we in the Niagara Region have had our Municipal Governments, St Catharines, Welland and others preach Water Conservation and they have actually set up Water Conservation groups (Councilors etc) under their supervision to encourage and assist in the financing of toilets etc…..BUT the greatest CONSERVATIONIST is MOTHER NATURE.
These MUNICIPALITIES, against the wishes (10,000 signatures on a petition in Welland alone) of their taxpayers, installed Water Meters with a lot of hype and B.S. meaning of course these MUNICIPALITIES have literally made Water a Private Commodity with the authority to set the rates without interruption.
The Actually Neptune Web page for these “Neptune Water Meters” states water meters can be a “CASH COW” to MUNICIPALITIES that install them.
Fact (1) When conservation (Natural or man made) causes the Cash flow into the Municipal Coffers to decline the consumption rates is raised by the rate proposed by the City Staff…
Fact (2) In the last year or so they have raised the fixed rate and that will never go down, in fact the consumption rate you now see on your billing will never go down …JUST UP and UP.. like Neptune stated a CASH COW is Milking Us to the point where poorer folk might have to made drastic decisions…..But then who Cares?